Slipped
by Ellcrys
Summary: One night, shortly after Klavier finished his schooling, he got a call from his brother asking for a ride home. Little did he know that Kristoph was about to let his brotherly facade slip.


**Slipped**

He'd been away for his schooling too long. That was the only explanation Klavier could find. That, or he'd been more oblivious as a child than he'd thought. But wasn't everyone? Just... not to this degree.

Of course he had thought his big brother was amazing. That was normal for a young boy, especially when the big brother filled in as a parental figure. Kristoph never seemed to do anything wrong - he was always firmly in control of the situation, and himself. He could handle anything.

Except, it seemed, a bit too much wine at whatever office party he'd been at that night, which was why Klavier had earlier found himself in the back of a taxi on his way to some law firm or another at two in the morning.

Klavier had only been back in the States, back in the family manor, for a few weeks, and a good portion of that time had been spent downtown. Between the beginnings of his own career, visiting with that intriguing detective he'd been assigned a trial investigation with (how fortunate was it that he would get teamed up with another young law enforcement prodigy who was _also_ a musician - and the first visit to Daryan's place had proven that the guy was _incredibly_ talented), Klavier had hardly spent much time at home. Kristoph wasn't around so much either, due to the demands of his own career. They hadn't exactly had so much time to spend catching up with each other, but Klavier thought that was all right - they'd have plenty of time while he settled down and figured out where exactly he fit in.

Initially, having received the entirely unexpected phone call from Kristoph requesting a ride home, he thought with a little smirk that perhaps he'd fit in better than he expected, despite all the changes he'd been through. His brother had been remarkably calm about the black clothing and leather jacket, the piercings, the purposely unkempt hair... Kristoph had barely said a word, which pleased Klavier greatly. Of course he'd always known that his big brother was the kind of man who would judge based on who a person was inside, not on the picture they presented - that was what made him an excellent defense attorney. And maybe, Klavier was beginning to think, his brother had just let himself lighten up a little in the years since he'd had to play the role of responsible parent. After all, if he had to ask for a ride home because he'd had too much to drink...

Kristoph was watching for him from the firm's front window when the taxi arrived, the vague silouhettes of other lawyers and their associates passing behind him like flickering shadows cast by firelight, and he disappeared from the window as Klavier handed the driver his card.

He didn't actually look the slightest bit drunk, Klavier observed as his brother descended the front steps to approach him. His steps seemed steady, if a bit slowed, and his smile was... slightly odd, Klavier thought as he exited the taxi, but definitely not the drunken leer he'd come to know from some of his classmates. His words, though, were a little slurred when he spoke. "Thank you, Klavier, for coming at this hour."

"It's no trouble," Klavier said with a shrug. "As I said earlier, I was still awake."

"...What _were_ you doing still awake, anyhow?" Kristoph inquired, raising an eyebrow, motioning towards the side lot where he must have parked.

"Working on a song. I know - it's late to still be plugging away at it when I have work tomorrow... but when the muse bites, you don't want to let it get away."

"Mmm..."

The vague reply was unusual for Kristoph, and Klavier glanced over to him, slightly concerned that he was more drunk than he appeared. The streetlights reflected strangely off Kristoph's glasses, losing his eyes in a faint yellowish glow, and making his slight smile look a little sinister. Klavier chuckled softly at the idea that his brother could possibly look sinister, and put an arm around his shoulders. "You understand, don't you? There's something in your life like that as well, ja?"

The smile vanished. "...What are you referring to?"

Ah, so he _was_ more drunk than he was letting on. "Your cases, big brother," Klavier teased, nudging him gently. "Once you've found something to break apart a prosecutor's argument..."

"Mm. Yes," Kristoph agreed. He blinked as they passed by the streetlight, and once more Klavier could see his brother's eyes, regarding him thoughtfully. "...I hope you'll treat your cases as seriously as you do your music."

"More," Klavier assured him. "I'll stay up all night if I have to. After all - how am I going to defeat passionate attorneys like you if I don't take trials every bit as seriously as you do?"

"An admirable goal," Kristoph stated, nudging his glasses up his nose momentarily. "Though you're still very young. ...I envy you, for being able to start so young."

Klavier's smile softened. "In a way, it's my fault you couldn't," he admitted. "And your financial planning and networking skill is what allowed me to do so. I'm very much in your debt, brother."

Klavier was almost startled when he felt Kristoph's arm around his waist, his hand on his hip. Kristoph had never been particularly physical about his affections. "I wouldn't have had it any other way," Kristoph murmured. "The way you've grown up... pleases me."

It was... really nice to be able to talk to Kristoph about things like that, and to know that he didn't mind - that Kristoph had accepted him, even if he wasn't quite the perfectly straight-laced little boy he'd been when he left for school. Klavier squeezed him a little tighter before releasing him, pointing him to the passenger side of the car as he pulled out his own set of keys. He wondered vaguely if this actually fit the requirements of his learner's permit - there _was_ a licensed driver in the car with him, but did it count if the licensed driver was in no condition to drive? Well, in court his brother would have no doubt brought up the point that it wasn't worded in such a way that ability to drive _at the moment_ was required, and that was good enough for now.

Kristoph was quiet during the ride back to the family manor, hands folded as usual in his lap. He was usually fairly quiet, of course, but there was an awkwardness about it this time. Klavier supposed he had some idea. "I don't think any less of you for this," Klavier told him. "Just so you'll know. You're an adult - and it's no crime for an adult to have a drink too many." Probably not much more than that, since Kristoph seemed mostly sober. "Especially when they know enough to tell when they've had one too many. So... this isn't any big deal."

He glanced over to Kristoph while pausing at a blinking red light, and found him staring straight ahead. Possibly not really listening. "In fact," Klavier said with a grin, nudging Kristoph's elbow with the back of his hand before pulling through the intersection, "it's kind of a relief to see you acting your age, ja? When I was younger, you always had to be the parental figure, sure. But I'm an adult now too - or close enough," he acknowledged. "I'm done with my education, I've lived overseas, I'm starting a job... and it's going fine. So even if I _am_ still just sixteen, you don't have to act so _parental_ anymore."

At the next stoplight, he glanced over again, and nearly did a double-take. Kristoph was staring back at him. This was somehow disconcerting - it wasn't like his brother wouldn't look people in the eye, but there was always a certain distance in his mannerisms even when he did. This time, though, Kristoph was really _staring_, like he was investigating everything about him, inside and out. Klavier's eyes averted automatically, then went back to his brother's face... He wished he'd worn his sunglasses, even if it was the middle of the night. Why did that look disturb him so? It was only Kristoph, he was only a little drunk...

Finally Klavier made his eyes face forward again. "It's a good thing I came and got you, if you're going to stare like that," he said lightly, seeing that the light had already turned green. "You look like you're going to swallow me whole."

"Not until we get home - I need a glass of water first."

Raising an eyebrow, Klavier looked back at his brother, who was still unsmiling. ...But that was just Kristoph, right? He was the master of deadpan. Klavier shot him a quick grin, and beneath the slow strobing light and dark of passing streetlights, his next glances in that direction showed him Kristoph was smiling as well. Okay, so the drinks had just left his sense of humor a bit weirder than usual, Klavier decided, and chuckled aloud.

Kristoph did as well, after a moment, but there was something strange about the sound. A kind of helplessness, when Kristoph had never been helpless in... well, he must have at _some_ point in his life, but not since their parents had passed on, certainly not in Klavier's presence. The idea of that laughter combined with that stare left Klavier a little uncertain, and he looked back to find Kristoph covering his face with his hands. "...Are you all right?" Klavier asked him.

Kristoph nodded, his face still covered. "Magnificent. ...Magnificent," he murmured, and began laughing quietly to himself again. Klavier just shook his head and decided to focus on the road. His brother sure was a weird drunk.

Except that Kristoph still didn't seem particularly drunk by the time they were home, except for the decidedly unusual mood. Oh well, different men showed it in different ways, Klavier supposed, locking the car doors behind them and following Kristoph inside. "You wanted some water, ja?" he called, starting for the kitchen as Kristoph lagged behind, removing his jacket and hanging it on the coat tree beside the door.

"I believe that would be a wise choice, yes," Kristoph murmured, and settled himself on the sofa in the sitting room. In the dark. Klavier shook his head, bemused, and went to get himself a drink as well as Kristoph - Kristoph had a wide variety of flavored water in the refrigerator, and Klavier picked out a peach for himself. Kristoph liked lime, if he remembered correctly, so he took one of those as well.

Kristoph was still sitting in the dark when he got back, illuminated only by what little of the landscape lighting on the grounds outside managed to make its way in through the window. He seemed to be lost in thought, and looked up sharply when Klavier spoke. "Is lime all right?"

"Yes - thank you, Klavier," Kristoph replied, taking the bottle Klavier offered and opening it. "...Why don't you have a seat?"

Klavier hesitated, thinking about what he'd been intending for the rest of the night, and was mildly annoyed that he couldn't remember the gist of what he'd been fiddling with on the guitar, thanks to the interruption. No reason not to sit with Kristoph for a while, then, and he reached for a nearby lamp.

"No - no need to turn the light on," Kristoph rebuked him gently. "There are only two of us here, and we know each other."

Klavier chuckled faintly, and indulged the strange whim, settling down in the dark at the far end of the sofa, with his arm outstretched on the back. "I'm beginning to think we don't know each other well enough anymore, big brother. I didn't expect to have to give _you_ a ride home, when it's always been the other way around."

"Well, you _are_ growing up," Kristoph observed. "And I fear I've missed so much of it, with you having been in Europe for so long. Tell me, Klavier... are you still a virgin?"

Bottle tipped back, Klavier nearly choked on the water he was drinking at the moment. "Ah, Kristoph, I... er..." He hadn't been expecting _that_ question, and he just had to laugh incredulously. "Uhm, what does that have to do with anything?" His brother was drunk. He had to remember that. Even if he didn't look it, he certainly was.

"Upon the subject of growing up, becoming my peer instead of merely my little brother..." Kristoph shook his head. "And besides, I was curious as to whether or not you would answer me honestly."

In that light, the question was almost endearing - Kristoph wanted them to be equals? Friends? A brief hesitation, and Klavier shook his head. "Nein... I'm not." He paused, taking another gulp of his water and wondering if he should reciprocate. Honestly, equals or not - he didn't really want to know, or think about it. Possibly this conversation would be a little more fluid if he'd had a drink or two himself, but he didn't think he was ready to divulge the revelation that he'd also engaged in the occasional underage drink (and even more occasionally, more than that) as well.

Kristoph apparently did not feel the same way. "Were you with a girl? Or perhaps a boy?"

Klavier was not entirely comfortable with this line of questioning, particularly as that wasn't a question that most people would have asked. Unless they had reason to suspect something. Not that there wasn't any reason in his case. "...Kris..."

"Did Markel teach you well?"

The question, asked so calmly and mildly, made Klavier jerk back in alarm. "...How did you..."

"I asked him." Kristoph smiled. "Come now, Klavier - there's no need to be shy with me. Truth be told, I have never had much interest in women myself."

That wasn't the least bit comforting, seeing as Kristoph's reaction to his coming out was the least worrisome thing to come of this conversation. "...You know Markel? And you... you asked him about..." Klavier couldn't quite wrap his brain around this.

"I met him in a club when I came to visit you in your first year, and I thought he might be useful. He's a generous fellow," Kristoph said with a shrug. "Very little interest in settling down, but he treats his lovers well."

And if Kristoph wasn't interested in women, then that might explain how he met Markel, and... and... And Klavier felt slightly ill. "...You and he... did you...?"

"Only twice, to confirm he would be sufficient."

"...Wait." His first year in college in Germany. That was before _he_ had met Markel. Klavier's skin crawled. "You... Kristoph, you set me up?"

"I had an interest, you might say," Kristoph replied calmly, setting his water aside and folding his hands in his lap, "in your becoming a proper young man. In every sense of the word."

_Proper young man..._ There had hardly been anything 'proper' about the night that the older boy had approached him, asked him casually if he might care to dance, which turned into an invitation to more - no strings attached, he said, only entertainment for the evening - which turned into spur-of-the-moment meetings and occasional long, languid nights where the older boy had invited Klavier to indulge his curiosity and experiment... Klavier's eyebrows furrowed, but he couldn't decide whether he was angry or just creeped out to think that Kristoph had put Markel up to it. It wasn't as if it had been a love affair, they'd agreed upon that from the start, but...

"You don't seem pleased," Kristoph observed.

"No, I'm not." Klavier didn't know what he thought, actually, but 'pleased' was not a part of it. "Kristoph... why in the world..."

"I thought it best for you to have an instructor," Kristoph said simply. "As in every other area of your life, to make sure you learned the proper way to do things."

"Proper...? _Proper_, Kristoph?" Klavier set his bottle down with a thump on the coffee table, mostly so he wouldn't be tempted to throw it at his brother. "There is _nothing_ 'proper' about interfering in someone else's sex life - especially your own brother."

"Is it wrong that I should want the best for you?"

"The be-" Klavier cut himself off and stood. "You've done a lot for me, and don't think that I don't appreciate it. But-" He couldn't believe this. "A _sex_ tutor? I just... what even put such a thought in your mind? Are you _mad_?"

Kristoph appeared to consider the question seriously. "I don't believe so, no."

Klavier just shook his head, turned away. "I don't know what you were thinking," he stated. "And I'm going to bed. This is just... it's too weird, Kristoph."

As he started towards the stairs, he could hear Kristoph rise behind him, start to follow. "Pity... I was about to explain."

"Nein," Klavier told him, without looking back. This was just too much to wrap his head around at this hour. "I'm not in the mood for an explanation right now. Maybe in the morning."

"Stop behaving like such a brat, Klavier."

That tone of his older brother's voice, quiet but firm, unfortunately still seemed to have the same effect on him that it had when he was a little boy - it stopped him short. And just as always when Kristoph had scolded him... "Listening to what I tell you will benefit you far more than it will benefit me," Kristoph told him, his footsteps slowing as he approached.

Klavier didn't turn back to look. "...I'm _not_ a little boy anymore," he reminded Kristoph - and maybe himself, given how the tone of Kristoph's voice still made him feel as if he were shrinking.

"I'm very aware of that." Klavier started, as Kristoph's arms abruptly wound themselves around him from behind, holding in a gentle embrace. "You've grown up so _beautifully_, my little brother. I'm so pleased to see that you've become exactly the man I hoped you would be."

"...Kris..." His brother had some bizarre ideas, perhaps, but effectively becoming a parent had been thrust upon him at a rather early age, so maybe it was understandable... and the sentiment seemed genuine, the sincere pride and affection showing through in Kristoph's slightly slurred words. Klavier sighed, and reached a hand up to place it over Kristoph's, tracing it over the old scar that stood out against smooth skin. "Kris, it's late, you've had too much to drink. Let's call it a night, ja?"

"My thoughts exactly."

Instead of letting go, however, Kristoph's hold on Klavier tightened, his hands splaying across Klavier's shirt, and Klavier abruptly felt very uncomfortable with the placement of his brother's hands, on his chest and hip. "I enlisted Markel," he murmured in Klavier's ear, "so that you would be prepared."

"...Prepared..." Klavier hesitated, swallowing hard. He wasn't sure he wanted to ask, wasn't sure he _needed_ to ask, but he had to be mistaken, this _couldn't_ be what it seemed. "...for what exactly?"

He froze as he felt the brush of lips upon his neck, Kristoph's hands caressing him through the thin fabric of his shirt. "For me, of course," Kristoph murmured.

Klavier still had his hand on one of Kristoph's; he could feel the tendons twitching as a thumb brushed a nipple. If Kristoph's lips hadn't been busy there, Klavier would have sworn the hairs on the back of his neck would have been standing on end. "Kris..." he began, the strained sound of his voice frightening him all the more, "you're my _brother_."

"As I am yours," Kristoph reasoned, his tongue lapping at Klavier's shoulder. Klavier stiffened as one hand began unbuttoning his shirt. "It has always been the two of us, brother, only the two of us. And so it shall always be. You belong to me, and I belong to you."

"Stop it!" Klavier finally remembered how to move, and pushed Kristoph's hand away from his buttons, turned to shove himself back from his brother. "Kristoph, what are... You're _drunk_, Kristoph, and you're talking crazy." More than talking - Klavier had backed towards the kitchen, where there was more light, and as Kristoph advanced, he could see the gleam of his brother's teeth and the rim of his glasses in the darkness. Klavier continued to back away. "...Stop it, Kristoph. Just... go to bed, and..." Klavier's eyes widened. Now that Kristoph was fully in the light, he could see the grin on his brother's face, the wild look in his eyes.

"You're mine, brother," Kristoph repeated, in that quiet, firm voice. "You're mine. You always have been. I couldn't be more pleased."

Klavier glanced back over his shoulder at the doorway - the kitchen was a dead end. And the look on Kristoph's face...

Before Kristoph could force him through the doorway, Klavier ducked and darted under the arm that snaked out to grab hold of him, getting behind his brother. At his back he heard a frustrated snarl, and instinctively he ran for the staircase, for the safety of his room.

He was only a few feet from the bottom step when he felt something snag in his hair, yanking backwards so hard he cried out, and would have been knocked off his feet if he'd not been caught, falling against his brother's body. "Why do you fight me?" Kristoph inquired, breathless and wounded, one hand still gripping Klavier's hair, pulling Klavier's head back against his shoulder. "You were always such a good boy when you were younger..."

"I-I'm not a little boy," Klavier managed, trying not to cry, or scream, or do anything else that might contradict the sentiment. "Let go of-"

"I know. I know..." Kristoph's voice was soft, soothing, as was the caress of his other hand, slipping inside his shirt, sliding down his chest. Klavier's groan was ignored. "You're old enough now that I can please you, just the way you have always pleased me... I've waited so long, dear brother."

Klavier wasn't really listening to what Kristoph was saying now - his thoughts were turned to _how to break free_ - and he let himself relax, slumping back against Kristoph's shoulder without struggling. "Yes, that's it," Kristoph whispered, letting go of his hair, stroking it instead.

That was Klavier's chance, and he took it, elbowing Kristoph hard in the ribs (a useful technique he'd learned at boarding school). While Kristoph was caught off guard, Klavier pushed him away and clambered up the stairs, almost on all fours while he found his bearings. "Klavier!" Kristoph shouted behind him, and Klavier felt something grab hold of his ankle, but he kicked back instinctively, and was rewarded by a cry of pain and the sound of shattering glass as his foot struck home and was released.

"Klavierrrrrr!" The roar echoed up the stairs as Klavier fled into his room, closed and locked the door behind him, and slumped down against it, panting and wide-eyed in the dark. What in the world had just happened? What was wrong with his brother? Drunk or not, this was-

He froze, hearing footsteps in the hallway. They slowed as they approached his door, and then there was a soft chuckle. "Open the door, Klavier."

Klavier didn't reply, simply glanced up to make _sure_ he'd turned the lock. He jumped as the doorknob rattled. "Klavier, let me in. I want to talk to you... I _need_ you..."

It didn't sound to Klavier like Kristoph wanted to _talk_. There was a pause, then a loud thump against the door, like it had been kicked, and Klavier scurried away. "Let me _in_, Klavier," Kristoph called again, frustration growing in his voice.

Sooner or later, Klavier realized, Kristoph would remember that there was a key for all the bedroom doors downstairs. If he didn't break the door down first, he thought as another loud thump made the door shudder. He had to get out of there...

Of course, being an opportunistic thinker, Klavier had considered many times as a child whether he would be able to leave the manor through his bedroom window, though he'd never done it - the drop from the second floor was too high even if he'd thought he had a good enough reason. Memory enhanced the view through the open window with a vague sense of vertigo, of it being _so far down_, even though he was no longer so small... but he couldn't deny that he had a good enough reason _now_, so he opened the window and climbed through, hesitating only long enough to hear another loud pounding on the door before he leapt.

His landing wasn't quite graceful, and his ankles were momentarily unhappy with him, but he got to his feet quickly regardless and ran.

* * *

Klavier kept himself in good enough shape, but he was still winded and weary by the time he got to the end of his block, and he bent over, panting. A glance over his shoulder told him there was no one in pursuit. Not that he really expected Kristoph to come running after him, if his brother even knew yet that he was gone - but then, he'd never expected...

Even though he knew he was alone in the street, Klavier looked around warily. It was absurd, but he felt as if Kristoph might just pop up behind him at any moment. He could still feel the tingle of his scalp where Kristoph had nearly ripped his hair out, the gentle touch of his brother's fingers inside his shirt... Klavier shuddered and started walking again, keeping in the shadows despite his unease. Not that he knew where he was going, out in the suburbs at this hour. But he couldn't go back.

...He _couldn't_ go back. And he had nowhere else to go in the middle of the night. Suddenly it hit him, the implications of what he'd done by running out - but what choice had he had? Now Klavier was _truly_ frightened.

But he'd finished high school equivalency as a preteen, had left the country on his own for college shortly after, and now he was already in training with local law enforcement, as he'd planned all along. If he could manage all of that, he could find a place to stay the night.

In fact, reminding himself of his career gave him an idea, and he pulled his cell phone from its clip on his belt. Thank goodness he'd taken it along when he went to pick up Kristoph from that party, and that he hadn't had a chance to take it off.

"Hey..." mumbled a sleepy and slightly disgruntled voice after the third ring. "If you're calling to ask _again_ about that fucking riff... we got work tomorrow, y'know."

Klavier would have laughed, if he were capable. "It's not about the song, Crescend. I'm in trouble."

There was a pause, the creak of an old mattress as Daryan sat up, trying to process this. "Okay... It's gotta be serious if you're calling now, so I guess I can't beat your face in. What's going on?"

"It's... Well, my brother..." Klavier wasn't sure how to explain it. Or if he wanted to. "Let's just say my brother and I kind of... got into it, you could say. I had to leave the house."

"He kicked you out?" Daryan sounded more awake now.

"Not exactly... I left. I had to." Klavier bit his lip. "...I'm not sure what he was intending to do to me, but nothing good."

"Huh..." Daryan mulled this over in silence for a second. "Are you okay?"

"Aside from a little pain in my right ankle from jumping out a window on the second floor, I'm unharmed."

"Damn... you really _are_ serious, aren't you? Hey - are you somewhere safe?"

"Safe is a relative term." Klavier glanced around at the empty streets, still walking. There wasn't much traffic in the affluent parts of town in the middle of the night. "I'm out of the house, and I'm pretty sure he hasn't followed me."

"Want me to come get you?"

Klavier breathed a sigh of relief. "I was hoping you might, actually."

"Hey, it's no problem."

"Thanks, Crescend. I really appreciate it." Klavier hesitated. "Will your mother be all right with it?"

"Pssh - if she's got a problem with it, too bad," Daryan said dismissively. "She's gonna have to get used to me getting calls and leaving at weird hours if I'm gonna be a detective anyway."

Daryan didn't know Klavier's part of town very well, but he knew how to read a map, and Klavier headed for the intersection he'd suggested to sit down at the curb and wait. Fortunately it didn't take too long, and Klavier could hear the car approaching before he saw it - not only was Daryan's mom's car kind of a beater, but Daryan liked his music _loud_. Not quite as old-school as usual, Klavier observed, as the car pulled around the corner and he stood to wave, the bass and the beats resolving themselves into a song he knew. "Isn't it _me_ who should be asking _you_ if you're 'gonna go my way'?" he inquired, grinning at Daryan through the window. Daryan rolled his eyes, but he grinned back, waving towards the passenger side, and Klavier accepted the invitation.

Before they took off again, though, Daryan reached over to turn the volume down. "So back to my place?" he asked, pulling away from the curb. "Or somewhere else?"

"I don't know of anywhere else," Klavier admitted. "I haven't been back in the States long, and I wasn't exactly independent when I left." Back then, Kristoph had attended to his every need. ...And he said that he'd been _waiting_ for this, Klavier remembered suddenly. Waiting since _when_? Since he was...

Daryan looked over at Klavier, serious. "...You're _shaking_, man. What happened?"

"Kristoph..." Klavier began, hesitant. "My brother. He had too much to drink at a party he went to tonight, and..."

Daryan was helping him out - Klavier supposed he deserved to hear the truth about what had happened. When he was finished telling the story, Daryan was alternating between scowling at the few other drivers on the road, or staring at Klavier in disbelief. "Holy fucking _shit_, Klavier."

"...Yeah," Klavier agreed with a vague nod. "That sums it up nicely."

"You wanna report him?" Daryan suggested. "It's attempted assault, you know."

Klavier shook his head. "He's never done this before... Maybe it was just that he had too much to drink." The problem was that while Klavier had seen his fellow students drink to excess and say things they didn't really mean, he was aware that often enough, the unexpected thoughts and feelings only emerged because they were too impaired to remember to hide them.

"Maybe, but that's still totally fucked up - you should make a report," Daryan insisted. "I'll take you to the station now if you want."

"Not now," Klavier told him tiredly. "I need to think about it first. I mean... he's my brother."

"That's why it's so fucked up," Daryan pointed out. "And it doesn't give him any special rights to you."

"...Maybe in the morning, after I've slept some," Klavier conceded, just to make Daryan shut up. He didn't want to think about it anymore just yet.

Daryan's mother wasn't still up, apparently, which made it easier for them to sneak back to Daryan's room, where Daryan pointed out that he really only had the one bed. He'd go pass out on the couch, though... Klavier shook his head and told him to take the bed - he was fine on the floor, if there was a spare blanket or something. Daryan promptly tossed a pillow down at him too, not-so-accidentally hitting him in the face, and stared at Klavier when he just started laughing. Klavier couldn't help it - it was so inoffensive and _normal_ after the night he'd had, to be staying over at someone's house and be challenged to a pillow fight.

"I dunno how long Mom'll be okay with you staying, though," Daryan muttered once the lights were out, and they were both settled down. "Not a long-term solution, you know. We don't have a lot of room here."

"I know. ...But I can't go back. Even if it was just a one-time thing... it freaked me out."

"Yeah, I bet."

Daryan fell silent then, and so did Klavier. He'd already been mulling a couple things over before any of this had happened, but at the time they'd been frivolous - just something that might be fun, if he pursued it. But now... "Hey, Crescend?"

"Yeah?"

"I had this idea..."

* * *

Klavier didn't want to go back to the manor, and he didn't want to see Kristoph. The former couldn't be avoided forever, but perhaps the latter could be put off for awhile.

Just in case, Daryan insisted on going with him when he headed back a few days later, for some of his things. "Look, the guy tries anything," Daryan stated bluntly, "I'll beat the shit out of him. Simple as that."

"I don't think he will," Klavier muttered, but he was glad to have Daryan at his back regardless as he unlocked the front door - and even more glad for Daryan's presence when he walked in and found Kristoph in the sitting room, reading a newspaper. "Oh - there you are, Klavier," he said simply, folding the paper and setting it aside. "I know you're old enough to look out for yourself now, but I was growing a bit concerned. It would be nice of you to let me know if you're going to be gone for a few days."

Klavier hesitated, suddenly uncertain. Kristoph's smile was the same pleasant smile as always, his tone of voice just as mild. Sure, he had had a couple of days to cool off, but...

"Klavier?" Kristoph inquired. "Is something the matter?"

Daryan shifted his weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other behind him, and Klavier shook his head. Fine - he'd play along. "Kristoph, this is Daryan Crescend - he's in training to become a detective down at the precinct."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Crescend," Kristoph said, with a respectful nod to Daryan. "It's good to see my little brother already making friends - though he's never had trouble with that."

"...Yeah," Daryan said flatly, folding his arms over his chest and looking away. He, at least, was clearly not willing to play along.

Kristoph raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more to him. "Will the two of you be staying for dinner?" he addressed Klavier.

"Actually, no." He tensed, wondering if he was about to set Kristoph off again. "Crescend and I were talking... and we both think we're at a place where we want to get out on our own. What with our careers just starting, and everything. ...We're going to get an apartment together."

"Ahhh. I see," Kristoph remarked, with another pleasant smile. "You _are_ at about the age where you might feel the urge to leave home for a time. I can hardly object to that."

Klavier hadn't expected Kristoph to agree to that. In fact, he was acting so perfectly normal and reasonable, Klavier was beginning to wonder if _he_ had gone crazy.

"Mr. Crescend? You're to be a detective, are you?" Daryan looked uneasy, but he nodded. "I suppose that if you're well-acquainted with the law, I can trust you to make sure that my little brother doesn't get into any trouble." Kristoph flashed a fond smile at Klavier. "Joking, of course."

"Uh... yeah." That poker face of Daryan's was turning just a little confused.

"And Klavier?" Kristoph added as he picked up his newspaper again. "If it doesn't work out well for you, you're always welcome here at home."

"...I think we'll be fine," Klavier stated, averting his eyes. "We just came to get some of my stuff, so if you'll excuse us..."

"Of course, of course."

Once they were upstairs, in Klavier's room with the door closed - and it occurred to him suddenly that the door was unlocked; when and how had it been opened? - Daryan shot a dirty look at the door, but a wary one. "...Not that I'm saying you're making stuff up... but you're sure this guy tried to...?"

Klavier nodded. "I mean... I couldn't have dreamed it... You came and picked me up, didn't you?" Suddenly, he wasn't sure about this at all. "You _did_, ja?"

"Yeah, I did." Daryan aimed another wary look at the door. "He just seems so... uh..."

"Nice?"

"I was gonna say wussy."

Klavier didn't even have it in him to laugh. "I don't know... I would have thought that he would say something. Even if just to apologize..."

Daryan folded his arms again, shifting uncomfortably. "...Well, he gives me the creeps anyway."

Klavier wondered if Daryan thought he'd made it up. ...Well, he couldn't blame him if he did, since _he_ wasn't sure it had really happened either.

After he'd packed up his bedding, his two guitars, and a few boxes of smaller things, and he and Daryan started carrying them downstairs, Klavier got something of an answer when Kristoph offered to hold the door open for them. Klavier wished he'd refused; manuevering out through the doorway, he had to pass so close to Kristoph that he could feel his brother's warm breath on his neck, with Kristoph's arm stretched out such that he could have grabbed him...

He didn't, but when he bid the two younger boys farewell, Klavier noticed something that made it all return to him - the grip on his ankle, the impact and sound of shattering glass. "...Kris? Aren't those glasses your backup pair?"

"Very observant - I broke my favorite pair," Kristoph acknowledged, reaching up to adjust the slightly thicker frames. "It's quite embarrassing, actually - I slipped a bit. I'm not certain when I became so clumsy."

Klavier never went back to the manor without Daryan after that, and as the two of them moved him out, they tried to go there when they knew Kristoph wasn't around. When Kristoph called to see how he was doing, Klavier answered; when Kristoph stopped by his office on legal business, Klavier spoke to him - but he kept the door open. Klavier didn't want to know what would happen if Kristoph 'slipped' again. 


End file.
